Where you can watch beluga whales that travel in from the Arctic

A new camera is giving people the chance to see and hear beluga whales as they have a “summer vacation” from the Arctic in Churchill.

Polar Bears International has set up a beluga cam in the Churchill River which gives people an opportunity to experience the Arctic whales as they do things like raise their calves.

“They’re called the canaries of the sea because they talk so much. They talk, chit-chat all day. So the hydrophone picks that up. You’ll see them talking to their babies, they’re really playful. It’s really nice to watch these whales have a good time in this river,” said Alysa McCall, a staff scientist with Polar Bears International.

Every summer, McCall said around 57,000 belugas come into Hudson Bay and around 4,000 of them travel into Churchill River.

“Their summer migration, it’s kind of like their vacation season in a way. So they’ll head back up north later in the summer, early fall and we won’t see them again until next year.”

She said belugas are beautiful creatures and should serve as a reminder of why it is important to save the Arctic ice. Without the ice, there would be no belugas, McCall said.

“They need Arctic sea ice and to keep them around in the Arctic, we have to keep Arctic sea ice,” she said. “The best way to do that is switch to more renewable energies. They’re so worth saving in the Arctic. They’re just beautiful, wonderful whales.”

The beluga cam can be seen on explore.org Monday to Friday, with an entire schedule attached. More details on Polar Bears International can be found online.